The Song of the Shirt / Thomas Hood
"The Song of the Shirt" is a poem written by Thomas Hood in 1843. The Song of the Shirt With fingers weary and worn, With eyelids heavy and red, A woman sat, in unwomanly rags, Plying her needle and thread — Stitch! stitch! stitch! In Poverty, hunger, and dirt, And still with a voice of dolorous pitch She sang the " Song of the Shirt. " "Work! work! work! While the cock is crowing aloof! And work — work — work, Till the stars shine through the roof! It's Oh! to be a slave Along with the barbarous Turk, Where woman has never a soul to save, If this is Christian work! "Work — work — work Till the brain begins to swim; Work — work — work Till the eyes are heavy and dim! Seam, and gusset, and band, Band, and gusset, and seam. Till over the buttons I fall asleep. And sew them on in a dream! "Oh, Men, with Sisters dear! Oh, Men, with mothers and Wives! It is not linen you're wearing out, But human creatures' lives! Stitch — stitch — stitch, In poverty, hunger, and dirt, Sewing at once, with a double thread, A Shroud as well as a Shirt. "But why do I talk of Death? That Phantom of grisly bone, I hardly fear his terrible shape, It seems so like my own — It seems so like my own, Because of the fasts I keep; Oh, God! that bread should be so dear, And flesh and blood so cheap! "Work — work — work! My labour never flags; And what are its wages? A bed of straw, A crust of bread — and rags. That shatter'd roof — and this naked floor — A table — a broken chair — And a wall so blank, my shadow I thank For sometimes falling there ! "Work — work — work! From weary chime to chime, Work — work — work — As prisoners work for crime! Band, and gusset, and seam, Seam, and gusset, and band, Till the heart is sick, and the brain benumb'd, As well as the weary hand. "Work — work — work, In the dull December light, And work work work, When the weather is warm and bright — While underneath the eaves The brooding swallows cling As if to show me their sunny backs And twit me with the spring. "Oh! but to breathe the breath of the cowslip and primrose sweet — With the sky above my head, And the grass beneath my feet, For only one short hour To feel as I used to feel, Before 1 knew the woes of want And the walk that costs a meal! "Oh ! but for one short hour! A respite however brief! No blessed leisure for Love or Hope, But only time for Grief! A little weeping would ease my heart, But in their briny bed My tears must stop, for every drop Hinders needle and thread!" With fingers weary and worn, With eyelids heavy and red, A woman sat in unwomanly rags, Plying her needle and thread — Stitch ! stitch ! stitch ! In poverty, hunger, and dirt, And still with a voice of dolorous pitch,— Would that its tone could reach the Rich!- She sang this "Song of the Shirt!" Background The poem was written in honour of a Mrs. Biddell, a widow and seamstress living in wretched conditions. In what was, at that time, common practice, Mrs. Biddell sewed trousers and shirts in her home using materials given to her by her employer for which she was forced to give a £2 deposit. In a desperate attempt to feed her starving infants, Mrs. Biddell pawned the clothing she had made, thus accruing a debt she could not pay. Mrs. Biddell, whose first name has not been recorded, was sent to a workhouse, and her ultimate fate is unknown; however, her story became a catalyst for those who actively opposed the wretched conditions of England’s working poor, who often spent seven days a week labouring under inhuman conditions, barely managing to survive and with no prospect for relief. History The poem was published anonymously in the Christmas edition of Punch in 1843 and quickly became a phenomenon, centering people’s attention not only on Mrs. Biddell's case, but on the conditions of workers in general. Though Hood was not politically radical, his work, like that of Charles Dickens, contributed to the general awareness of the condition of the working class which fed the popularity of trade unionism and the push for stricter labour laws. Hood published the poem in Volume I of his Poems in 1846. See also *Other poems by Hood References *Sheila Blackburn, A Fair Day’s Wage for a Fair Day’s Work?. London: Ashgate Press, 2007. *Walter Jerrold, Thomas Hood: His Life and Times. London: Alston Rivers, 1907. External links * The text of the poem via University of Guelph ;Audio / video *"The Song of the Shirt" at YouTube Category:1843 poems Category:British poems Category:Works originally published in Punch (magazine) Category:Poems about work Category:19th-century poems Category:English poems Category:Text of poem